Between Light & Dark
by Trafalgar Neo
Summary: Silver trees are not normal. Nor is the world Todoroki finds himself in one night. There he meets a girl who needs his help. He wakes up thinking it was only a dream. But then he sees her at UA. And when they finally meet she reveals her quirk doesn't work that way. So how did she reach him in a dream?
1. Reaching Japan

Reaching Japan

…

"_As different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire."_

_-__Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights_

…

Heart pounding Cress tightened her hand on the strap of her bag. Her boots thundered on the sidewalk as she weaved in and out of the crowds. The ends of her ponytail whapped against her neck, wanting to break free of its confines of her ball cap and wiping away sweat. There was only about twenty minutes before her flight would board. She had to hurry if she was going to catch it.

Ducking down an alleyway she glanced around to see if anyone followed or noticed her. The crowds continued to pass by the alley. No one looked her way.

She knew she shouldn't do this. It was against the law to use a quirk so freely. But, as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. And she had to catch that plane.

With a relaxing breath Cress closed her eyes and concentrated. Her body slowly faded into a low light. She flew up the side of the building and took off towards the airport.

A few minutes later fire lit in her muscles. She needed to land but refused and kept on pushing. _A little farther. Just a little farther and she'd be there._ Seconds ticked by achingly slow. Building after building blurred passed before the airport finally appeared.

Ducking down another alley she landed and transformed back. Legs like noodles she stumbled out of the alleyway. She paused for a moment to refill her lungs then ran down the sidewalk, huffing and puffing the whole way.

Cold air brushed over her skin as she shoved her way into the airport. The door swooshed closed behind her, cutting off the unrelenting heat. She took a moment to draw in a couple deep breaths before proceeding to find the gate she would be leaving from.

Finding a seat near the gate she plopped down in a chair, adjusting her sunglasses. She scanned the people around her while brushing sweat from her face. No one spared her a single glance. Still her body remained rigid against the hard seat. Anyone of these people could turn on her at any second and demand to know why she was alone.

But she had prepared for that. If anyone questioned where her parents were and why she wasn't in school in the middle of the week she would tell them she was traveling to Japan to visit a family member and that her parents couldn't see her off because of work. It was a long shot of course, but she had planned for that as well. She had a prerecorded message waiting. Anyone could call the number and get the message that would sound like her dad saying he knew where she was. If that didn't work…well, it had to work.

Rolling her shoulders she did her best to get her body to relax until her flight was called for loading. It didn't take much longer before a woman announced her flight number to Japan. Adjusting her bag she followed the crowd to the gate and stood in line. So far so good. She was still going unnoticed for the most part. Only a few adults glanced at her before looking away.

A security guard walked by. He caught her eye. Her muscles flinched to tense up but she forced them to remain relaxed. When he didn't move on she smiled at him, heart pounding. For sure she thought he would question her. But he smiled back with a nod and walked on. It made her wonder if teenagers traveling alone were a common occurrence in this airport.

With a relieved exhale, she stepped up to the lady taking everyone's tickets.

"Traveling alone? Are you meeting someone at your destination?" The lady eyed Cress with suspicion. "It's not often we get teenagers traveling to another country on their own."

"Yes, I am. I'm heading for Japan to meet up with my aunt." Cress smiled. "My parents weren't able to come see me off because of work. They know I'm here. And I've called my aunt a few minutes ago to let her know that I'm at the airport, too."

"Very well then." The lady nodded. "Go on in. Have a nice flight."

Cress followed the other passengers down the pain grey hall, ignoring how small the space was, and into the plane. Working her way down the isle she found her seat. Her eyes locked onto the small compartment overhead. Being her first time on a plane she had no idea if she had to put her bag in there or if it would be fine for her to hold it. After a moment of considering she sat down and hugged the bag to her chest and prayed no one would take it from her in any sort of way.

More people filed inside causing the already tight plane to shrink even more. Cress shifted. Tight spaces were never her favorite thing. She absolutely hated them. To keep the walls from closing in on her, she forced herself to listen to the people talking around her while taking slow calming breathes. Two women sat behind her, talking so fast Cress barely caught every other word they said.

"I know! I was so totally like that is so cool!"

"You are so lucky, girl! Brendon is so hot! I would love to meet a guy like that! And have him take me back to his apartment!" A skin-curling laugh erupted behind her.

Cress could feel several other people cringe with her. It was apparently going to be a long flight. She hoped the women wouldn't talk the entire flight. Her strings were wound tight enough as it was. Last thing she needed was someone this annoying to continue to aggravate her nerves.

Blocking them out the best she could, Cress rested her head against the window and focused on the outside world instead. She grasped onto the black top, the fence, the sky, the clouds, and the trees. Before she knew it the plane had hummed to life and the wild lands of Florida were growing smaller and smaller. A flock of birds flew by bring a yearning to her chest. Oh how she wished she were out there instead of inside this confining plane. She loved to fly. And spaces inside usually didn't give much room for flying. Outside there was infinity of space for her to move in. All her life she assumed she was claustrophobic because of her quirk. She was meant to fly.

Cress watched the clouds as they passed through the sky until her eyelids fell closed.

…

"Hey. Wake up."

Cress grunted at the hand shaking her before opening her eyes.

A flight attendant smiled at her. "We have arrived."

"Oh. Thank you." Cress blinked a few more times and rubbed the sleep from her face. Slipping her bag over her shoulders, she moved for the exit. Entering into the airport she was met with all Japanese décor. Pressure settled into her chest. It was overwhelming to see so much of it at once despite having studied the language for the past five years.

Steeling herself for the cultural change, Cress took a deep breath and headed for the door. Bright lights from nearby signs stung her eyes. Crowded streets of talking people hammered her ears. Their voices and words jumbled together into one incoherent mess. She shook it from her head. It would take time to adjust to her surroundings. Right now she had a more important issue to work out. She walked into the crowd, set to find a place to spend the night.

Weaving through the people, Cress mentally practiced her Japanese. Each time someone spoke a word she caught she said the English equivalent of it as her eyes roamed over the buildings and their signs. There were plenty of shops, businesses, and hotels. Unfortunately, she didn't have much money to her name. Besides it was late and a teenager walking into a hotel without parents at this time of night would arouse suspicions.

That meant there were only a few choices left: An empty alley, a park, or a roof. The roof would be the safer option, at least for the night. Maybe later she could find a better solution for sleeping. She turned down an alley and watched the people pass before she turned into her soft light form.

A few birds scattered when she landed on the rooftop. Her eyes landed on the door of a stairwell. Hopefully no one would come up here. Being after one in the morning she doubted anyone would. By the time someone came up here she would be long gone.

Cress walked to the opposite side of the door. If anyone did come up here before the sun rose she would be able to hear them before they saw her. She sat down, using her bag as a pillow, she closed her eyes. "Well, home sweet temporary home."

…

Clouds floated passed the window, allowing a stream of moonlight to color the room with a soft grey light. Todoroki rolled onto his side, pulling his blanket closer to his chin. The grey light shifted, moving towards him until it touched his brow. His eyebrows rose on his forehead.

_Todoroki looked around at the creamy white field that surrounded him. His eyebrow rose in surprise, maybe even confusion. Shades of grey patches spotted the area like craters on the moon. In fact it looked like he _was_ on the moon. He would have thought he was on the moon if it weren't for the white grass at his feet. Beyond the horizon, skirting against a forest of trees was a midnight blue sky speckled with shimmering stars. _

_ Something pulled at him from the trees. His feet moved his body towards them. The trees grew closer to reveal they weren't normal trees. Their leaves were a light blue. Their bark glittering silver. The bushes spotting the forest floor were all shades of pastel greens. Flowers shifted on a breeze before lifting off a few of the bushes. No, not flowers, butterflies. Butterflies lifted off the bushes. They flew around him before weaving through the trees._

_"Is this some kind of dream?" Todoroki scratched his head. Never in all his life had he had a dream like this. It was as if he stepped into some form of fairytale land._

_ A soft, lyrical giggle floated on the air and into his ears. He pulled his eyes from the butterflies to catch a glimpse of pure white hair disappearing behind a tree. Without thought he followed after the hair._

_ Every few seconds, he caught another glimpse of the hair and heard that lyrical giggle. Each time his feet propelled him to move faster. He had to catch up. He had to know who it was._

_Tree after tree. Bush after bush. He followed and followed until the trees thinned and he stepped out onto the bank of a lake. A large pavilion the same color as the dark sky was the first thing that caught his eyes. Then movement grabbed his attention. Looking way from the pavilion he saw the white hair. It was attached to a girl wearing only a light blue sundress._

_He walked towards her. Her head lifted a bit when he was ten yards from her. Before he could take another step she jumped to a stone on the water. Skipping from stone to stone she made her way to the pavilion. He followed._

_ Vines and light purple flowers wrapped around the pillars. Standing in the middle of the pavilion was the girl, her back to him._

_ Todoroki found his heart rate started to increase. He wanted to get closer to the girl. He _needed_ to get closer. Licking his lips he stepped forward, hoping she didn't run this time. He was about five feet from her when she turned around. A gasp expelled from his lips before he could stop it. Her eyes were a stunning midnight blue. Heat crept up his neck and onto his cheeks. He was embarrassed but had no idea why._

_ The girl giggled. Her hand lifted from her side. Holding it out to beckon him to come closer._

_ Todoroki found his hand making its way towards hers, another limb that seemed to have a mind of its own. He should pull back. For all he knew this girl was an enemy who lured him here to harm him._

_Though all thoughts of pulling away vanished when his fingers slid over her smooth skin. His already fast heartbeat rose even higher. A light flashed between their hands. Something pulled his attention to his body. Looking down he found he wore a tuxedo matching the color of her dress._

_She tugged him towards her, regaining his attention. A smile bloomed on her lips as soft music began to play. Without a word she led him in a slow dance._

_Todoroki allowed her to lead him where she desired as he peered into her eyes. Happiness pooled in her eyes, seemingly spreading to him. There was something about her that made him enjoy dancing with, being with her. It didn't matter that he had never danced before. He only wanted to be near here. So he stepped closer to her._

_They danced and danced until that pool of happiness flipped to unending abyss of fear and loneliness. The emotions poured into his very soul drowning him until darkness cocooned them. The floor disappeared, plunging the two downward. Their hold on each other was broken. Their physical connection was gone. She reached out as her voice cried out to him, her lips never moving. "Help me!"_

_Todoroki reached for her, desperate to save her from falling. She fell faster. He shot out his hand hoping to use his ice quirk to catch her. It didn't come. The darkness slipped over her feet. Her eyes begged him to save her. The darkness slipped over her knees. Tears streamed her cheeks. The darkness slipped over her chest. Pain, ice pick stabbing pain, hit his chest as the darkness rose over her head. He reached for her one last time. Swiping at her a second before the darkness completely swallowed her._

"No!" Todoroki jolted. His eyes shot open as he sat up in bed. Sweat dripped down his face while his heart pounded his ribs. He looked over his room. He was awake, in bed. That girl was only a dream. That place was only a dream. Nothing more, nothing less.

He ran a hand from his hair and stood. Grabbing his water bottle off his desk he gulped down the remaining water. Lowering the bottle from his lips the girl flashed through his mind again, scared, alone, swallowed by darkness.

Frustration embedded in his very soul. The girl wanted, needed, help. Even though she was nothing more than a dream, the in training hero that he was, he wanted to save her.

Todoroki walked over to his window. Pushing back the curtain he stared out at the dorm yard before his eyes lifted to the moon above.

Behind the thin glass, sirens roared in the distance.

…

Ciarran stood looking down over the city. So many unsuspecting people scrambled here and there like little ants working and working and working. Such a busy place this Japan was. Though she doubted many of these little ants were heading to work. Being only two o'clock in the morning some might be heading home from work. Either way it didn't matter. They were still good enough for her to play with. And it had been a long time since she had been able to play.

Curling a strand of hair she debated on how her introduction to the citizens of Japan should start while her eyes fell to the hair around her finger. If it weren't for the city lights she would be unable to see her tresses, as it is as dark as a black hole. She believed it to be her best feature. As well as her eyes, which matched her hair perfectly. And her legs were great too. So was her hips, her smile, her ear. Heck. She was perfect.

Pulling her hand away from her hair she held it over the edge of the building. A dark grey moon rock floated over her palm. Her lips curled into a wicked grin. "Moon Rock Shower."

Ciarran's voice echoed off the air.

The moon rock shot away from her. Glass shattered. Metal crunched. People screamed. Another moon rock hit a car, causing it to crunch in on itself. Tires screeched. Some swerved to miss the damaged car in front of them. Others ran into the car causing a pile up.

Ciarran laughed and shot out several more moon rocks. More screams rose up from below as the people ran for cover. Lifting her other hand she fired more moon rocks with pot shots. Windows from buildings shattered, raining sharp projectiles down on the panicking people.

Her attention shifted when a couple of her moon rocks were grabbed by twisting wood. Ciarran listed her head.

"Hold it." A man covered with wood lifted in front of her with the same type of wood coming from his feet.

Ciarran had a vague memory of him but couldn't recall his name.

"You are under arrest for illegal use of quirk and for attacking civilians," he said.

Ciarran chuckled. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Come peacefully."

"Not going to happen."

"You're standing on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city. Unless you're going to jump you have no where to go." The man lifted a hand and shot out a branch.

"Jump, huh? Good idea." Ciarran stepped off the roof. The rush of the fall washed over her.

"Are you insane?!"

A glow, with black edges, engulfed her. Ciarran flew back up to him. She smirked. "I might be. What about you?"  
"You can fly? Who are you? I've never seen you around here. Nor someone with a quirk like yours."

"My name is Ciarran," she replied. "And that's all I'm telling you. The rest you'll find out eventually. Well, maybe. If I feel like revealing anything else then I will." She eyed the branches holding him aloft. "You don't appear to be able to fly…but let's see how good of a hero you are." She whipped around and took off.

The hero followed.

Ciarran glanced over her shoulder. He was doing a lot better than she thought he would. Spinning so she flew backwards, she tossed out some moon rocks at him. He pulled himself this way and that with his quirk, dodging all but one. That one slammed into his chest, sending him hurling towards the ground. As he fell, a woman rose up from out of nowhere. She grabbed the falling hero.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for the catch," he said.

Ciarran hummed. Three more heroes joined them.

"We heard about what was going on and thought you would need help," one said.

"I think I might. She's quick."

"Then lets get her before she does anymore damage!" a third hero said and they all rushed forward.

Ciarran cackled. "Now this is going to be fun." She cracked her knuckles.

...

**Author's Note: Felt like doing a MHA, OC/Todoroki story. So let's see how it goes.**


	2. Dream to Reality

Dream to Reality

…

"_I am as ordinary as the grains of sand, but I dream of kissing the stars and dancing with the Moon!" __-__Avijeet Das_

…

Cress groaned and rubbed her temples. The bright morning sun penetrated her eyelids, causing her throbbing head to pound even harder. She draped her arm across her eyes to block out the sun more. After a few minutes her headache faded to a dull throb. She sat up, her body aching as if she had participated in a triple triathlon. "Stupid night. What a pain. Ouch!"

Pain shot through her arm. Looking down she found a piece of glass sticking out of her skin. With a wince she pulled it out then cleaned it with the small first aid kit she had.

Shaking it off the remaining pain, she stood and adjusted her clothes then pulled her bag back on her shoulders. Now presentable to be seen in public, she shifted into her light form and flew down to the alley then stepped out among the bustling crowds.

The air was thick with strong morning coffee, perfumes, and warming asphalt. Some chatted on their phones while others focused on getting to their destinations. Then her feet jerked to a pause when the large screen overhead turned to the news. _"Late last night a new villain appeared."_

Ice clenched Cress's heart. Her eyes lifted to the screen despite her desire to continue to walk on. She caught a glimpse of the newsman before he was replaced with a recording of pro heroes going up against a teenager with black hair.

Cress swallowed. Hard. Cold sweat spotted her skin. It couldn't be. It was far too soon. Yet there it was, plan as day.

Ciarran had made her appearance.

Cress clenched her bag straps as she watched Ciarran dodge every single attack and trick the pros threw at her. The pros might have the strength and years of practice hunting down criminals, but none of them faced an opponent like Ciarran before. They had no idea what they were really up against. But she knew they would figure Ciarran out soon enough. Everyone would.

The voices around her pushed through her panic. "Great. Another villain."

"I hope she's caught."

"I hope she doesn't join the League of Villains."

_League of Villains?_ Cress wondered about those words for a microsecond before chastising herself. Turning from the news she dashed off. There wasn't time for anything else, even if that was Ciarran. She had to get to _him_. She had to find All Might. Everything would be fine once she spoke to him. It had to be.

The morning crowds were a lot denser than Cress had anticipated. It took her almost two hours weaving in and out of crowds of people, finding the right streets, until finally reaching her destination. Turning one last corner she saw it. The large building of UA High was right in front of her now. Sun glared off the windows making her squint.

Her heart raced as her mind told her over and over that he was here. She licked her lips. This was it. Soon she would take the next step. Soon it would all be over. Now all she had to do was find him.

Students were still roaming onto the grounds of their school when she arrived near the front gate. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she proceeded to walk along the wall at a slow pace. _Relax. No one notices you. No one knows why you're really here. You're just another person passing by a school. Nothing out of the ordinary at all._

She came to the gate and halted before it. Her eyes scanned the crevices on the inside. A door. An alarm. If she remembered correctly UA students and faculty had passes to get inside the school. Anyone else wasn't allowed. And if she tried to step through that gate the alarm would sound. It didn't matter thought. Not for her.

"Excuse me?"

Cress startled. She turned to find a boy with green hair looking at her. The freckles across his cheeks gave him a really boyish look. Despite that she stiffened. Why was he talking to her? Had she done something to alarm this boy? "What?"

"I asked if you were lost," he said.

She scanned his clothes. It was the grey uniform of the hero school. So he was a student here, a possible future hero.

"Sorry." He smiled while rubbing his head. "I didn't mean to catch you off guard. You seemed to be a little lost. Can I help you somehow?"

"Oh." Cress exhaled. He was just a concerned citizen looking to help. Nothing more. "No, thank you. I'm not lost. I'm just out for a walk."

"This early? School will be starting soon." The boy looked at her clothes. "Are you heading to your school? You're not wearing a uniform."

"Oh, school. No, I'm not in school right now." Cress forced a smile on her lips. "I'm visiting some family. I'm heading to their place now." She purposefully shifted her bag before looking back at the school. "It's just…I've heard a lot about UA. I had to see it for myself. It looks amazing."

"So you're not from around here, huh? Where are you from? If you don't mind me asking."

"That's right." Cress looked at him and paused. Should she tell him where she was from? Would it be a bad thing if she did? She thought for a moment and decided it shouldn't be a problem. This boy wasn't associated with anyone she knew. "I'm from America. Florida, actually."

"I see. Welcome to Japan. I'm Izuku Midoriya." Midoriya nodded.

"Thanks. You can call me Cress." Cress backed away from him in hopes he would think she was in a hurry. "Well, it's nice to meet you, but I have to go."

"Me too." Midoriya waved and headed into the schoolyard. "Enjoy your visit."

"Yeah. Thanks," Cress mumbled. Turning from the gate she headed around to the side of the school. She needed a few more minutes for everyone to get inside and settle in to their classes before she could make her own way into the building. To make sure no one suspected her of anything she walked away from the school. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn't had breakfast yet.

Cress sat down in the grass and opened her bag. A heavy sigh escaped her when she saw she only had a few fruit bars and one apple left. She took a fruit bar out and ate it. Depending on how things went she might have to get a job for a while.

Half an hour passed when she returned to the school. Everyone should be in class by now, even those ran late. Or she hoped they all were.

Cress took one last look around. The area around her was void of other people. With a breath she shifted into her light form and flew towards the window of the third floor. Like the street below the hall was clear. She shifted back into her normal form and walked down the hall.

Tall doors. They were at each room. It had her wondering why they had such large doors. Then that tall hero last night, the woman who expanded passed rooftops, came to her mind. Perhaps there were people here who needed tall doors.

A few minutes of searching passed before Cress realized trying to find one person in this building without asking wasn't going to be so easy. There were far too many floors and rooms to check. Some of those rooms were classrooms filled with students. Others were faculty rooms. And some were storage rooms. She couldn't look through them all without someone noticing.

Pausing on the stairs she sat down and scratched her cheek. She had to think. Which room would he be in? What floor? Would he be in class now? Maybe in a faculty room? Would he even been at school yet? He was still a pro hero. He could be out saving people. Online chats and websites said he was teaching here at UA now. It was big news. Even back in America people were shocked that the number one hero would teach.

Pushing back to her feet, Cress continued with her search until she ended in a large room with multiple tables and chairs. Between them were short walls topped with plants. At the opposite side was an area that looked identical to a fast food ordering counter. Above it was menus. She ended up in the lunchroom. It was the largest lunchroom she had ever seen with a high ceiling and large windows. She huffed. "Well, isn't this place fancy? I wonder how rich this school is."

With a heavy sigh Cress plopped down in one of the chairs and pulled the apple out of her bag. The skin crunched as she bit into it. Chewing she tried to come up with another plan while scanning the lunchroom. She wondered if All Might ate in this place or if he went out for lunch. How did Japanese school lunchtime go? Back in America some teachers ate in the lunchroom to keep an eye on kids. Some ate homemade lunches in their classroom. Did they do that here? At a school for future heroes? One would think it wasn't necessary since these teens are aiming to be heroes. But they were teenagers. And teenagers were prone to get rowdy at times.

"Finding All Might here is going to take forever. I suppose I could see if I could find an extra uniform lying around." Cress tapped her apple against her lip. Far too much time had already passed since she started looking. It was almost lunchtime. She could be spotted any moment now. "That way I could blend in with the students and ask where he is."

Cress munched down her apple and rushed from the lunchroom. One by one she started entering into rooms, that weren't classrooms or otherwise occupied by someone, until she finally found what she was looking for. A small storage room held a few extra uniforms. With a quick change she shoved her own clothes into her bag and left the room.

A bell rang. Doors opened as students started filling the hallways with words and footsteps. No one noticed her. Cress tensed, careful not to make eye contact with anyone until she figured out who to ask about All Might. Or maybe she would run into him now that classes weren't in session.

…

Todoroki shifted in his chair then covered a yawn. Thanks to the dream girl he met last night he was unable to fall back asleep. All he could think about was how she danced with him, how she made him feel, then asked for his help before they fell. It still felt so real. His mind refused to focus on anything else. It was odd. Never before had he focused so much on a dream.

Thankfully he didn't have any hero classes until the afternoon. Being unable to focus on normal school lessons didn't put himself or anyone else in harms way. He turned his eyes to the window. The blueness of the sky…it was so light and warm compared to her version of the sky.

His heart thumped against his chest. The dream replayed once more. Desire to go back to that dream pulled at him. He wanted to dream about her again.

"Todoroki."

Was there a reason why he kept thinking about the dream and why it felt so real?

"Todoroki?"

Todoroki closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his face. Why? Why was this happening? Why couldn't he shake this dream from his mind?

A finger tapped his shoulder. Todoroki jumped.

"You okay?" Midoriya asked.

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Because the lunch bell rang four minutes ago and you're still sitting there."

Todoroki looked around. Most of his class had already left the room. Those remaining were talking amongst themselves.

"Is there something you want to talk about? It's not like you to space out like this."

"No." Todoroki stood. He didn't want to talk about it. Did he? "I'm sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night."

Midoriya nodded. "Okay then."

Together the two left the room and headed down to lunch. Midoriya's question repeated in his mind. Maybe he should talk about it. For some reason he wanted to talk about it. Maybe it would help get it out of his mind. Like how a person felt better after talking about a nightmare. "Hey, Midoriya?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever had a dream that you couldn't get out of your mind? Or a dream that felt so real you thought it might be?"

"I've dreamed about falling. Those always feel real."

"No, not those types of dreams. More like dreams about someone needing to be saved."

"Hm…no." Midoriya looked at his friend. "I have dreams all the time about saving people, but nothing that felt real. Most of the time I don't remember my dreams or I only remember bits and pieces. It might be better if you tell me the whole dream."

Todoroki kept his eyes forward despite feeling his friend staring at him. He then relayed his dream to Midoriya. "I know it's only a dream, but it felt and still feels so real. So much to the point I want to dream about her again."

"Uh."

Todoroki turned to find a creeped out look on Midoriya's face. "What's wrong?"  
"Um, nothing." Midoriya looked way and scratched his cheek. "It's a bit odd seeing you like this over a dream. Oh!" His face lit up. "Maybe it's someone's quirk."

"A quirk?"

"Yeah." Midoriya nodded. "Maybe the dream felt real because someone's calling out for your help."

"But why me?"

Midoriya shrugged. "Maybe she can't control her quirk and you're the one she was able to reach? Was there anything you left out? Did she say anything to you?"  
"She didn't speak at all. All she did was run from me then danced with me." Todoroki and Midoriya entered the lunchroom and stood in line.

"That's a hard one." Midoriya crossed his arms. "I can only say if it was real that you should try and meet her again. Maybe you can get some information from her. I mean if it really is a quirk."

Todoroki could only nod. If it was real he had no way of contacting her. He wasn't even sure how she contacted him. "Thanks for listening. Sorry for creeping you out before."

"It's fine." Midoriya smiled. "Let me know if I can help with anything else."

Todoroki nodded again.

After getting their food they met with their friends at a table and sat down. As his friends spoke and ate Todoroki kept his eyes on his food and his mind on that girl. Was Midoriya right? Was that girl using her quirk to contact him or someone else? Or was it really nothing more than a dream that he was making too big of a deal out of? He didn't know. He didn't know if he would ever know.

Tension worked its way into his neck from all his thinking. He rubbed it and rolled his head. Opening his eyes he caught a white flash of hair waving through the air. His heart leapt into his throat. Before he knew it his body had jumped. The chair fell back, hitting the floor with a loud bang.

"Todoroki, something wrong?" Iida asked.

Todoroki ignored him and raced for the white hair. Was she really here? Could it really be her? She was real?

Todoroki gritted his teeth. If it really was her, if she was really calling out for help, he was going to find out.

…

Cress rushed from the lunchroom. Having learned from a student that All Might ate lunch in the staff room, she made her way to that room. Her shoes thundered on the stairs and down the hall until she stopped in front of the room. This was it. Behind this door was the number one hero: All Might.

Lifting her hand she reached for the door, ready to knock. As she moved to tap the door doubt started sinking into her mind. What right did she have to bring her problems to someone else? All Might was the number one hero. He had more than enough people to save here. Why would he care about her? A girl he didn't know. A girl who wasn't even a native to this country.

Her hand trembled.

She had no right to be here. She had no right to ask him for help. She should turn and walk away. All Might would never know she was even there.

No, she had to talk to him. She needed his help. He was the only one who could help her.

Cress licked her lips. Her hand dropped back to her side as she turned and walked away.

…

Todoroki took the stairs two steps at a time. He didn't even bother to slow as he rounded a corner. He was sure he saw her come this way.

Then he saw her. His mouth went dry. His feet halted.

It was really her. The color of her hair, the color of her eyes. They were unmistakable.

It wasn't possible. _She_ couldn't possible be real. It was _only_ a dream. _She_ was only a dream.

Yet there she was, running right towards him. The girl in his dream was flesh and blood.

She rushed by him. A gush of wind created by her passing teased his hair.

His eye followed her before his feet did. He tried to call out to her but his voice was frozen. It wasn't possible. Was it? Was Midoriya right? Did this girl reach out with her quirk for him?

Halfway down the stairs, Todoroki jumped the rest of the way, startling some other students when he landed.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"You shouldn't be running in the school!"

Todoroki didn't hear them as he burst out the front door. He passed through the gate and found she was no longer insight. He ran down the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glimpse of her again. Yet, she was nowhere to be found. "She's gone. Did she use her quirk to get away? Why was she in the school in the first place? She was wearing a school uniform. Is she a student here after all?"

With no leads on where the girl would have gone, Todoroki shoved his hands in his pockets and headed back to the school. His mind reeled with the fact that his dream girl was a girl of flesh and blood.

"Todoroki, where did you run off to so quickly?" Midoriya asked when he got back to the classroom.

"Midoriya. Iida." Todoroki faced his friends. "Do you know of a girl at this school with white hair and dark blue eyes?"

"I know no one with that description." Iida pushed up his glasses.

"White hair and dark blue eyes? Sounds like your dream girl," Midoriya said.

"Dream girl?" Iida asked.

"Yeah." Todoroki sat down and tried to formulate a plan to find this dream girl.


	3. Searching

Searching

…

"_She was like the moon, half here and half somewhere else."_

_-__ Meeta Ahluwalia_

…

Ciarran licked her lips. A sadistic smile curled over her lips as she lifted her hands. Below her were more unsuspecting citizens rushing to and fro in the bright lights of the city. Oh how she loved the part that was coming up. It was always the best. The split second when chaos erupted.

She shivered and called up two dozen moon rocks. They floated around her, waiting for her command. "Let's see which heroes I get to come an play this time."

Her laugh echoed off the air around her as her moon rocks shot towards the city and its unsuspecting citizens. Glass shattered. Tires screeched. And people screamed. A thrilled rolled up and down her body. She hugged herself. "Oh! Such a wonderful sound! I love it!"

Ciarran's feet left the rooftop. She lowered herself down closer to the chaos she unleashed. Heat wafted over her skin. Smoke and gas flooded her nostrils. Her lungs expanded as she breathed it all in. "Love the smell of carnage in the evening."

"Then you're really going to love this!"

Ciarran cartwheeled through the air a second before a large hand could swat her down. She pouted at the large woman and the man made of wood. "You two again? I was hoping someone with more power would come fight me. Where's Endeavor? Or, better yet, All Might? I'd love to go up against them."

"Says the one who kept running away from us last night. We're more than powerful enough to handle a little gnat like you." Mount Lady stuck out her finger and planted a hand on her hip. "Didn't your mother teach you to respect your elders?"

"Didn't your mother teach you it's not nice to point?" Ciarran hurled a barrage of moon rocks at the tall woman. "And there's a huge difference between running away and toying with your enemy."

"Ouch! Hey!" Mount Lady crossed her arms over her face to block the moon rocks. "Stop that!"

"Like she's going to do that." Kamui shook his head. Releasing his hold on a building he swung to Mount Lady's shoulder and formed a wooden blockade. "Stop fooling around. We have to stop this villain before she hurt someone."

"I know, I know." Mount Lady huffed.

Ciarran crossed her legs and arms. "Are you two done chitchatting yet? I'm getting rather bored here."

"Oh, you won't be bored for long." Mount Lady rushed forward.

Ciarran dodged a punch then flew up to the giant lady's face. With a smirk she launched a moon rock towards her eye. Branches spread in front of Mount Lady's face. "Right. I almost forgot about you."

"We're not going to let you get away this time. You've already hurt too many people," Kamui said. "You're going down here and now."

"I am?" Ciarran tilted her head. Her smile darkened. "Let's see." Bringing her palms together she formed a single moon rock. It grew to the size of a car before she threw it at them. "Take this!"

Kamui cursed, weaving his branches into a net in an attempt to catch the giant rock.

Ciarran laughed. "Catch me if you can." She bolted through the city, tossing out moon rocks as she went.

"That coward! Stop attacking the city and people!" Mount Lady's boots boomed on the ground as she and Kamui chased after Ciarran.

…

_Shoto looked around as he walked through the silver barked forest heading for the lake. If Midoriya was right then this girl had called out again. Now all he had to do was find her and talk to her. She was here. He knew, somehow, that she was. All he had to do was find her. Hopefully she was at the lake since she didn't meet him in the forest. _

_With each step he got to the lake his heart started beating faster. The trees started to thin and the lake appeared. He stepped out onto the beach and spotted her. She was standing on the lake, seemingly unaware that he was there. He paired his lips to call out to her but jolted to a stop. He rubbed his eyes and looked again._

_ The girl was dancing _on_ the water, nothing solid underneath her feet._

_ Todoroki's brow drew together. This girl's quirk was amazing._

_ Her dance was smooth, hypnotizing. Her arms swiped through the air with graceful moves._

_ Todoroki had no idea how long he stood there motionless until a twig snapped. Looking down he found he had stepped on a twig. He looked back at the girl. She had halted at the noise. Her eyes locked with him. Neither moved for a long moment as they stared. He licked his lips. She turned to go. "Wait."_

_ She turned back to him and tilted her head._

_ "Don't run off." Shoto stepped towards her; his toes met the edge of the lake. "I'm not going to hurt you. I only want to talk."_

_ She blinked._

_ "Why were you at my school today?"_

_ Her eyebrows drew together. Confusion swirled in her eyes._

_ "U.A. High. I saw you there. Who were you looking for?" Seconds passed. She didn't answer. "Can you even speak?"_

_ "I can."_

_ For some reason heat rushed to his cheeks. Then it hit him. The reason for him feeling embarrassed was because this place was private. A world she had created. And despite being pulled here by her it still was an intrusion. He was an intruder._

_In a single blink she was standing before him. Her fingers were like flower petals against his cheek._

_ "Are you ill? You are all red." Her eyes lifted to his hair as her fingers brushed against his bangs. "Like your hair. It is natural, is it not?"_

_ "I'm fine. And yes it's natural." Todoroki pulled away from here. "Can you answer my questions? Why were you at my school? Who were you looking for?"_

_ "Looking?" She tilted her head, collapsing her hands behind her back. "I was looking for someone?"_

_ "Yes." Shoto nodded._

_ The girl hummed. "I do not know."_

_ "What do you mean you don't know? How could you not know?"_

_ She shrugged then held out her hand. "Dance."_

_ Todoroki wanted to object but found his hand lifting and sliding into hers. He opened his mouth to object but was stopped when she led him out onto the water. He looked down. Their feet glided over the surface. Not once did they sink. "This is the second time."_

_ "Hm?"_

_ "This is the second time that we have danced. Why?"_

_ "It makes me free."_

_ Loneliness sank into Todoroki's heart as sadness pooled into her eyes. "Have you always been the only one here?"_

_ She nodded. "No one else comes here."_

_ "Where is here?"  
"I…don't know." She tossed a glance over Todoroki's shoulder. "This place has always been. Though pretty it's always lonely." A fish arched out of the water and over them like a rainbow. It sparkled before disappearing back into the water. "Only they and other creatures are here. Never another human."_

_ "Is this the work of your quirk?"_

_ "No." She shook her head. "This isn't my quirk."_

_ "It's not?" Todoroki glanced again. If it wasn't her quirk, then whose is it? Was she lying to him? "What about your family? Can they come here?"_

_ "I have no family."_

_ "Oh." Todoroki's shoulders dropped. He closed his eyes. This girl seemed like a child. Getting answer from her wasn't going to be easy. Still he had to try. She was at his school. But how had she managed to get through the security system? The gate would have closed if she attempted to step through it. The alarms would have sounded._

_He opened his eyes to try again to get answers._ _He blinked. The girl was gone._

Todoroki jolted, sat up, and looked around. His dorm room had replaced that other world like it did the first time. With a sigh he placed his hand on his face. "Again? What is going on with that girl and that strange world?"

A siren screeched somewhere outside. It pulled his eyes to the window. She was out there. And he was going to find her.

Todoroki threw off his blanket and dressed. Pushing open his window he formed an ice slide. Without a glance back at the dorm, he raced off to find her.

…

Cress dropped her head back against the tree for the five hundred thousandth time. How could she have been so stupid? All Might was right there. Only a thin little door blocked her from the greatest hero ever. And she ran away. _Whap!_ She hit the tree again. "Stupid. Stupid. _Stupid!_" _Whap!_ Whap! _Whap!_ "Idiot. Idiot. _Idiot!_"

She opened her eyes and glanced up. Stars sparkled between the small spaces of bunched up leaves. The sun had set hours ago. Everyone that was in the park had long went home. She was all that was left. Just her and the crickets sing. "At least I can try again tomorrow. Might as well get ready for bed."

"Would you like some company?"

Cress jumped to her feet to find she was surrounded by seven men. She tensed.

"What's a cute little thing like you doing out here all alone?" A man walked up to her and circled her. "It can be really dangerous for a child to be on her own."

The other men laughed.

"How cute." Cress rolled her eyes.

"How about you come home with me tonight?" The man paused in front of her. "I can give you a nice warm bed. My name is Roni. What's yours, sugar?"

"None of your business." Cress curled her fists. "Neither is my name."

"Spunky. I like it. Well, if you don't want to be a good little girl and come with me then you can give me all your valuables." Roni reached for her arm.

"Get lost!" Cress jerked away and disappeared into her light form.

"Where did she go?"  
"Must be her quirk."

"There's a little light."

"That has to be her. Grab her!" Roni ordered.

Cress turned and flew away. If only it was day. They never would have been able to see her in all the light. She pushed herself as hard as she could, weaving through the trees until her muscle raged like a wildfire. Rematerializing, she stumbled when she landed on the ground.

Chest heaving up and down Cress skirted around a tree. Her shoes scrapped across the ground as she skidded to a stop. Ten men spread out in front of her. They chuckled. She whipped around, hoping to get out there, but the seven men who were chasing her appeared. She gritted her teeth. They must have called their friends to trap her. Maybe she shouldn't have used her quirk so soon.

"I'm not going to tell you again." Roni stalked up to her. "Give us your valuables."

"Even if I did have any I wouldn't give them to you." Cress sighed. All she wanted was to go to bed. Her body groaned at the thought of slept. It had been an excruciating long day. But with these low level thugs it looked as if sleep was a long way off.

The men closed in around her.

Cress lifted her fists, wondering how it was possible thugs could exist at all with heroes running around. She wondered if any heroes were near by. There was no guarantee that she would be able to escape from these men if she used her quirk. Should she scream out for help? Should she use her quirk?

"Can we hurry up and finish this?" one of the thugs asked. "Don't we still want to try and recruit Ciarran before she disappears again?"

Cress flinched. Ciarran. She had made another appearance. Toying with the pro heroes again.

"Of course we are." Roni cracked his knuckles. "We'll get to her before anyone else."

The men rushed forward.

Cress bent her knees as they powered up their attacks. Electric, fire, and a plant quirk were going to be the hardest to deal with. Her quirk wouldn't stand much of chance with a group of quirks. She had no choice. She had to run. When they fired at her she launched herself into the air, flipped over their heads, and started to run.

A man materialized in front of her. "Hold it. You're not going anywhere."

Cress growled and disappeared. She winced. Lava rushed through her veins from the over use of her quirk.

"Where did she go?"

"Don't just stand there! She's wearing down! We can stop her before she gets out of the neighborhood!" Roni barked.

Cress fumbled back to visible and bolted for a group of trees. Ten yards from them a blur shot up and landed hard against her stomach. All the air expelled from her stomach. Her lungs seized up. As her arms wrapped around herself she dropped to her knees, gasping for air.

"Nice try, girly. But that won't work on me. My nose is the best around."

Cress glanced up. His grimy hair and beard was cut to resemble a wolf, or maybe a dog. She wasn't sure.

"You are a cutie." Roni bent down in front of her, a cigar now hung from his lips. Smoke curled around her nose, making her lungs hitch. She hated cigars and cigarettes. Never would she understand how anyone could stand them. He took her chin in his fingers. "I'm starting to think you might be telling the truth about not having any valuables."

"You think?" Cress forced back an eye roll. "I only have one bag on me. And from the look of it you can tell not much is inside."

"Of course I'm speaking of materialistic things." Roni's eyes roamed over her.

A shiver ran up and down her spine. She didn't like the hungry look in his eyes.

"But there is one thing you can be valued for." He chuckled, his hand left her chin and made its way down to her chest. "I'm sure a cutie like you would-"

Cress launched herself up, nailing him in the chin with her head.

Roni flew backwards.

Cress jumped to her feet as his friends yelled and grabbed for her. She dodged punches and kicks, crackling energy balls and other quirk attacks she was unfamiliar with. But it was too much. Only a few seconds passed before hands grabbed her wrists and slammed her against a tree. Air rushed from her lungs. She gasped to refill them.

"You little brat!" Roni spat blood from his mouth and stood. His eyes darkened as he stalked towards her. "You're going to pay for that."

Cress's eyes dropped to his hands. They sparked and crackled. So far he only used small attacks against her. But she had no idea if that was the limit of his arsenal or if he was keeping a lid on things until the moment demanded stronger attacks. Either way she had a feeling she was about to find out. Her heart pounded. With enough of a shock she would be knocked unconscious. And she would be at the mercy, or lack there of, of these guys. It wasn't going to be a good experience.

Roni slammed a hand onto the tree beside her head.

Cress flinched. Her hairs stood from the electricity crackling beside her.

"You are going to pay." Roni leaned to her ear. "And it will be with your body."

"No. It won't." Cress closed her eyes for a second then opened them. The shocked expressions in their eyes made it worthy everything that happened. A soft white glow radiated off her.

A few of the men stumbled back, questioning what was going on.

"You'll see soon enough." Cress pushed out her glow. Sweat beaded on her forehead as it engulfed the men.

"What's going on? I can't move."

"I can't move either."

"What is this quirk?"

"What are you doing?!" Roni demanded, his eyes darkened another shade. "Stop it."

"You're the ones who started this." Cress's body grew heavy. She didn't have much time.

"Release us!" Roni's hand crackled.

Cress flinched as a spark touched her skin. Her hold on the men weakened then snapped. They were released and stumbled.

Roni cursed at her. Pulling back a fist he swung.

Cress slammed her eyes shut, expecting the punch to land. It didn't. Heat rose up on her skin. Screams opened her eyes. Fire flew in front of her. Roni and the two holding her jumped away. She stumbled forward before catching herself.

"Ganging up on one girl. People like you make me sick."

Cress turned to find a boy her age standing with his hand out. Fire flared from the skin of his left hand. His dual toned hair waved in the hot wind.

"Great. Another brat to deal with," Roni said.

"What? Are you insane, Boss?" one of the men said. "That's Todoroki Shoto. I saw him during the sports festival."

"So what?" Roni hissed.

"He's the son of Endeavor. We need to go. Both father and son are crazy powerful."

Roni growled. His hand crackled like lightning before fading away. "Fine. Let's go."

Cress watched the men walk away before turning her attention back to the boy. He lowered his arm, his fire extinguishing. She knew she should thank him for his help but she remained quiet. He stared at her with curious, cautious, tense eyes. His eyes, she noticed, were different colors like his hair.

Her body wobbled. Her vision blurred. The world swayed around her before going dark.

…

Todoroki's feet moved before he could think. He grabbed her and lowered her to the ground. Taking to his knee he pressed a finger to her neck. Her pulse thumped his skin. She didn't appear to be seriously harmed in any way. But he wasn't sure. All he knew was quirks could hurt the person wielding it. That might have happened to her since she was using her quirk before he arrived. It was possible she needed medical help.

He pulled out his cellphone and called for an ambulance. As he waited he looked her over for any injuries. All he found were minor scratches she most likely acquired while facing those thugs.

A few minutes later the sirens roared towards the park. The medical team rushed over to the teens and lifted her onto a gurney. Todoroki followed knowing the police would want his testimony and in hopes to question her when she woke up.

Reaching the hospital Todoroki spoke with a nurse and an officer that met them there about what happened as a doctor took a look at the girl. "When they saw me they recognized who I was and took off."

"So no one actually fought them?" the officer asked.

"No." Todoroki wasn't sure if she had fought with her quirk or not. When he had arrived she only had the men engulfed in a white glow. They seemed to be paralyzed. But whether or not she took an offense again them he had no idea. Of course she could get into trouble by using her quirk on them either way. He knew he should tell him about it, but he didn't. He had to talk to her first. If she got arrested he wouldn't be able to do that.

"Very well then." The officer made a note in his notebook before pocketing it.

Just then the doctor walked over.

"Is she awake?" the officer asked.

"No, but she's resting comfortably," the doctor said. "She appears to only have minor injuries. I assume it was the stress of the event that has kept her unconscious. She should be fully awake in the morning."

"I'll be back in the morning to question the girl." The officer tipped his hat and walked off.

Todoroki nodded, hoping he had enough time to speak to her before the police did. With no other option but to wait until tomorrow, he headed back to the dorms.


	4. Face to Face

Face to Face

Cress opened her eyes to a blurry grey sky above her and a sharp sterile air in her nose. She blinked, clearing her vision and instantly wishing she had left her vision alone. It wasn't the sky at all. She was inside. And going by the sterile smell she assumed it was a hospital. She sat up and looked around, finding her bag in the chair.

Gasping she bolted out of bed and snatched up her bag. Heart pounding she opened it. She exhaled with relief to find her book was still inside her bag.

Muffled voices came from the other side of the door.

Cress paused and looked at the door. Two shadows were outside of the room. She tensed, praying they moved on. A few minutes passed before the two shadows moved on down the hall. She relaxed and started to change clothes. It was time to go.

…

Todoroki dressed and rushed down to the common area of the dorm. The elevator door opened with a ding, letting in the voices of his classmates.

"Morning, Todoroki!" Uraraka said.

"Did you sleep well?" Iida asked.

"Breakfast is ready!" Kaminari said.

Todoroki rushed passed them.

"Hey, where are you going to in such a hurry? Class will begin in an hour," Midoriya called.

Todoroki closed the door behind him. There was no time to explain anything to them. There wasn't even time for breakfast. He would be back in time for class and he would eat later. The only thing he had to do right now was get to the hospital.

Fresh air was replaced with the smell of cleanliness as he stepped into the hospital. Stepping up to the reception desk he asked for the girl's room number and told the receptionist he was the one who brought her to the hospital. The lady gave him the number and he headed down the hall. Making his way to his destination, he picked up on pieces of conversations, one in particular caught his attention.

"I really hope they catch that girl," a woman said. "She's a total menace to the public."

"I'm finding it hard to believe that the heroes haven't been able to take her down," another woman said. "She's only a child who's shown she rather run than fight. Why are they having such trouble catching her?"

It took Todoroki a moment to realize who they were talking about: Ciarran. He had heard about her on the news. She was a new villain who was causing a lot of trouble for the pros. He too found it odd that multiple pros would have trouble catching one girl, a girl who was only a teenager. Ciarran's quirk was a bit of a mystery as much as where she had came from. All they knew was she could fly and form rocks the color of the moon. Some suggested she had a quirk that was moon based. He wasn't so sure. Other than the color of her rocks her quirk didn't seem moon related at all.

The girl's room number appeared before his mind could go any farther on Ciarran. He stared at the door for a moment before opening it. The girl was awake, digging in her bag, and dressed. She looked as if she was about to run away. "I hope you're not planning on running away."

The girl jumped and spun towards him.

Todoroki's eyebrows rose. His suspicions had been right. She was going to run. But why? He closed the door. "It would look suspicious if you did. And after I told the police you didn't use your quirk on them. By running they'll think you did use your quirk on them."

The girl's eyebrows drew together. Her eyes swirled with caution and distrust. She swallowed. "Why did you tell them that? You saw me using my quirk."

"Because I needed to talk to you. I couldn't do that if you were hauled away."

She looked to the door, the window, and then back to him.

Todoroki watched her weighting her options. They were on the fifth floor. Did she really think she could run from him? If she did, he was certain he could stop her by trapping her in ice. "You can run if you want to. But I warn you. If you run I will tell the police that you did use your quirk on those men last night."

She glared. "You did as well. I know your country's laws are the same as mine where quirks are concerned."

"So you're not from Japan."

She flinched.

Todoroki knitted his brow. For whatever reason she didn't want him to know that. He crossed his arms. "Look, I don't care where you are from. I only want you to answer my questions."

The girl examined her escape routes again before her body relaxed. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"For starters, why were you in my school the other day?"

"Figures you go to UA," she mumbled.

"What?"  
"Nothing. I was looking for All Might. Several people say he works there now as a teacher." The girl shifted on her feet, her hand closer to her bag.

Todoroki stood ready. If she was going to bolt or attack him, he was going to stop her. "Why do you want to see All Might?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," the girl snapped.

"It is my business if you're trying to hurt him or anyone else there." Todoroki paused in thought before asking, "How did you even get into the school? We have a state of the art security system. If you crossed over then the alarms would have been set off."

She crossed her arms and said nothing.

"You can tell me or tell the police."

The girl stiffened.

Todoroki watched her debating within herself again.

"Fine." She sighed. "It's because of my quirk. I can disappear, sort of."

"Disappear? The security system can register body heat and movement. It would have caught you."

"It's not like that." She rubbed her forehead. "I disappear but also turn into light."

"Light?"

"It's like moonlight passing through a window." She gestured at the clear glass behind her. "My body changes completely so I don't give off body heat or have a physical form for security systems to catch me. It also works on whatever I'm holding, if you were wondering. Though it only works on inanimate objects."

"I see. And All Might?"

"I need his help." She shifted on her feet again. "There's this guy who's after me. Well, he and his whole organization."

"Why didn't you go to the police in America?"

Cress sat down on the bed. "It's not that easy. This guy can put thoughts into people's heads. He calls his quirk the power of suggestion and calls himself Azazel."

"Hebrew for scapegoat or total removal."

"Whenever the police or heroes get close he uses his quirk on others to escape." She wrapped her arms around herself.

Todoroki remained silent for a few minutes before saying, "He's used his quirk on you, hasn't he?"

She nodded. "His quirk only works within a two mile radius. But, even being here, I can still hear his voice inside my head." She closed her eyes and breathed in. "I was hoping that All Might could help stop Azazel. He wants me to use my quirk to do things for him. Stealing…killing. I don't want to."

"I understand," Todoroki said. " But All Might's retired."

Her eyes shot to him before she placed a hand on her face.

Todoroki watched her. Her face started to turn red. Tears were on the verge of falling. His chest tightened. She drew in several breaths, pushing away her tears. "He still might be able to help. Maybe he has an idea on how to stop this guy. But why didn't you already speak to him? You were at my school."

"I lost my nerve." She rubbed her arm and averted her eyes. "Anyway, I'll go talk to him."

"Fine. But this time you can come through the front door," Todoroki said.

She looked at him.

"Come back to the school during lunch. I'll introduce you to him," Todoroki said.

"Fine." She nodded.

"I'm Shoto Todoroki."

"Crescent, but call me Cress."

Todoroki nodded. "You can call me Shoto." He turned to go but turned back. "Do you have enough money to pay the hospital bill?"

Cress groaned, dropping her head back. "I didn't even think about paying."

"I'll take care of it."

"What? Why? I can't let you do that."

"It's fine. My dad is the number two hero after all." Todoroki grabbed the door handle. "He won't notice a bit missing. Be sure to meet me outside of the school at lunch. I have to get back to school now before I'm late."

"Fine. But I will pay you back for this."

Todoroki nodded then left.

…

Cress opened her mouth to ask what he meant about his dad but he closed the door before she could. She hadn't meant to have someone else pay for her mistakes. Unfortunately, she still didn't have much money. Despite that she would pay him back as she had said. Somehow.

She glanced around the room, wondering what to do now. There was no point in running now. She had a meeting with All Might. And this time she was going to see it through. She closed her eyes. "Just a little longer."

_"Give up, Little Bunny."_

Pain stabbed her temples.

_"You won't be able to do it."_

"Stop it." Cress grabbed her head. "Get out of my head."

"Are you all right?"

Cress dropped her hands. Standing at the door was a nurse. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a small headache."

"Would you like me to get something for it?"  
"No, it's going away."

"That's good. You have a visitor." The nurse stepped aside to let a cop come inside.

Cress tensed. Stale coffee wafted to her nose.

"I'm here to speak with you about last night," the cop said. "Is that all right?"  
Cress nodded.

"Good. This won't take long."

"And after that the doctor will be in to check you out. If nothing is wrong you'll be able to leave this afternoon." The nurse smiled and left.

"Tell me what happened last night." The cop pulled out a small notebook and pen.

"Well, those guys attacked me. They wanted my valuables," Cress said. "Typical mugging."

"Did you use your quirk on them?"  
"No. I didn't have too. That guy, Shoto Todoroki, showed up and stopped them."

"Yes, young Todoroki is a wonderful pro hero in training." The cop smiled. "He's exactly like his dad. Both are very powerful."

Cress wasn't so sure about that. The way Todoroki spoke about his dad…something was off.

Several more questions and minutes later the cop had all he needed. He left a few minutes before the doctor came in. The stale coffee was replaced with hand sanitizer. "Okay, let's get you checked out."

Cress tapped her toes and fingers impatient for her check up to be over.

"Okay, you are good to go." The doctor smiled. "You bill has been paid so you can leave now."

"Great." Cress grabbed her bag and bolted out the door.

Warmth rolled over her skin. Squinting into the glaring windows, Cress made her way through the city in search of a library. Upon finding it she settled in at a computer and started looking up information on Todoroki's dad. What she was looking for she wasn't sure. Maybe something that would tell her why Todoroki seemed off when speaking about his dad. She got nothing but all the rescues and villain lockups he had done, that and pictures of him. In all of them he looked angry. Nothing like his son.

Shifting her focus she looked up information on All Might's retirement. Tons of articles appeared on the screen. She clicked on a video of the fight that ended the number one hero's career. Her hand shot to her mouth. It wasn't possible. All Might was struggling to fight against a man wearing some kind of device over his face. Face…or lack there of. The man's face seemed to be covered with skin. Then the most shocking part of the video came. All Might's mighty body was replaced with a skeleton version of himself. She clicked the exit button and dropped against her chair. Her mind swirled with all this new information.

How was All Might going to help her being the way he was now?

Cress bolted from the computer. Sitting there was only going to make things worse.

…

Cress stood at the gate of UA. Staring at the building she wondered once again if she really want go through with this. It wasn't too late to turn and run. Todoroki wasn't there yet. She could leave this school and Japan. He would never know what happened to her.

"Cress."

Cress jumped. Todoroki had arrived while she was in thought.

"You ready?"

Cress nodded and followed as he led her into the building. Whispered swirled around them as they made their way through the halls.

"Who's that with Todoroki?"

"I've never seen her before."

"Do you think she's his girlfriend?"

"No way. Do you see her clothes? Todoroki is way too good for her."

Cress rolled her eyes.

"He's in here." Todoroki's voice pulled her attention. They had stopped at a door. He knocked then opened it. "All Might?"

"Come on in."

Cress stepped into the room to find only All Might was there. Her eyes widened at his form. He really was a skeleton of himself. Didn't this guy eat?

"So you're Crescent," All Might said.

"Uh, yeah. Hi." Cress nodded. "Call me Cress."

"Well, Cress." All Might waved to the couch across from him. "Sit."

Cress walked towards the couch then paused when she heard the door close. Turning back she found Todoroki was gone. She clenched her bag strap. She hadn't noticed until that moment that she wished he had stayed.

"Young Todoroki told me you wanted to talk with me," All Might said.

"Yes." Cress sat down. "Did he tell you why?"

"Only that you need my help. Tell me what's on your mind."

"Well…" Cress licked her lips and told him what she had told Todoroki.

"I see." All Might cupped his chin. "That does sound serious."

"I've written down all his major businesses, deals, people he trusts the most, places he's hit, and other such things." Cress pulled the book from her bag and handed it to him.

"Wow." All Might flipped through the book. "This is a lot. And very detailed." He looked up at her. "How did you get all of this?"  
Cress shrugged. "Like I said, he has an interest in my quirk."

All Might nodded. "Being able to turn into light and pass through windows without setting off the alarms would be very handy for a villain. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to beat a guy like this."

Cress sunk into the couch.

"But I'm sure I can come up with something. There are a lot of fine pro heroes who work here. Surely someone will have an idea." All Might tuck the book under his arm and stood. "For now let's go talk to the principle."

"The principle?" Cress blinked.

"Yes, you need to be protected."

"Oh!" Cress shot to her feet. "That's not necessary. I only meant to pass this information on to someone who could stop him."

"Young Crescent, you are in a lot of danger." All Might placed his hand on her shoulder. "It won't be good if Azazel captured you."

"True. But I can't-"

"Now don't worry." All Might guided her to the door. "I'll make sure you're in a safe place."

"That's really not necessary. I can actually-" Cress's stomach rumbled.

"Haven't had lunch yet, huh?" All Might continued guiding her out of the room. "No worries. I'll buy you lunch. I'm sure you don't have much money on you."

"How would you know that?" Cress glanced back at him. "Let go. I don't need anything from you."

"Just a guess. Don't be like that." He smiled. "It would be a delight to buy a pretty girl lunch."

Cress groaned. Clearly she wasn't going to get out of this. So she allowed All Might to guide her into the lunchroom. He paid for her food then guided her to a table with a couple familiar faces.

"Hey, it's you," Midoriya said.

"Do you know her, Deku?" a pink cheeked girl asked.

"Yeah, she was checking the school out yesterday," Midoriya said.

"Did you and All Might finish talking?" Todoroki asked.

"Sort of." Cress scratched her head.

"We have spoken. I'm going to take this to the principle then to my friend at the police station," All Might said.

"Hold on a second! You never said anything about police!" Cress whipped to the adult.

"She'll be eating with you all for the time being." All Might all but pushed her down in a chair beside Todoroki. "Keep an eye on her."

"Sure thing." Midoriya smiled.

"Hey!" Cress tried to protect again but All Might walked off with wave. "Well, he's…not what I expected."

"Is something wrong?" a guy with glasses asked.

"Uh." Cress scanned the teenagers.

"Oh, Cress, these are some of our friends," Midoriya said. "Uraraka and Iida. Guys, this is Cress."

"Nice to meet you," Uraraka said.

"Yes. Welcome to UA. What brings you to our school? Are you a friend of All Might's?" Iida spoke animatedly with his hands.

"No, I only needed his help with something." Cress looked at Todoroki. When he said nothing she told them what she had told him and All Might.

"Wow. You came all the way from America?" Iida asked.

"That's how dangerous Azazel is," Cress said.

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure All Might will come up with something." Uraraka smiled.

Cress nodded. She hoped so. Turning her attention to her food she watched the stream rise of the rice before picking up her chopsticks.

"Do you need help in using them?" Iida asked.

"No, I'm good." Cress took a bite of rice. "I've studied Japanese culture. This isn't my first time using chopsticks."

"I should have known. Your Japanese is very good," Iida said.

"Thank you." Cress spent the rest of lunchtime listening to the in training heroes talk. Only when she was spoken to directly did she speak. And when lunch was over All Might came back and took her to see the principle.

"Hello, Miss Crescent. Welcome to UA. I am Principle Nezu."

Cress stared at the white creature sitting behind the desk. She had heard of rare cases of animals manifesting quirks but had never seen one before. And this guy…she wasn't sure what kind of animal he was. He looked to be a mix of a bear, a dog, and a mouse. "Yes, sir. Thank you. Oh, yeah. I forgot." Cress pulled the uniform out of her bag. "I, uh, borrowed this before. I wanted to return it and apologize for taking it."

"You can keep it," Nezu said.

"No, that's okay." Cress held it out.

The principle pushed her hand back to her. "I insist. You'll need a change of clothes."

"What for?" Frowning, Cress pulled the uniform back.

"We have spoken and agree that it's best for you to stay in our care," Nezu said.

"What?! No! You can't do that!" Cress shouted.

"And here is your pass and ID to get into the school." Nezu held out the pass.

Cress swallowed as she stared at the pass. This was not what she had wanted. All she wanted was someone to stop Azazel. She gripped her fists. "I don't want to be part of your school in any kind of way. I refuse."

"In that case we'll have to turn you over to the authorities," Nezu said.

Cress flinched.

"Miss Crescent, I know you are homeless," Nezu said.

"What?" Cress gasped. "But how did you…?"

"It's the way you smell." Nezu jumped out of his chair and walked around the desk. He paused in front of her. "You smell of grass, trees, and rocks. Things people don't normally smell like when they live in a house."

Cress looked away and bit the inside of her cheek.

"I'm not going to pry into your past," Nezu said. "But you have to understand the position you have put us in. We cannot allow a minor to run around on her own. You do have a choice. You can be turned over to the police and live in protective custody or you can stay here at the school in the dorms. I have the perfect person to keep an eye on you. With his quirk it'll be next to impossible for anyone in Azazel group to get close to you without a fight."

"And who's that?" Cress asked. If All Might couldn't help then who could?

"His name is Aizawa," All Might said. "His Young Todoroki's homeroom teacher. He can temporarily deactivate other quirks with is own."

"He can really do that?" Cress looked at All Might.

"He can." All Might nodded. "If Azazel does come we should be able to stop him easier if Aizawa uses his quirk on him. Then all that's left is dealing with whoever he brought with him."

"So you thought of a plan after all," Cress said.

"It's only a rough one," Nezu said. "Your book here is very informative about who he's got working with him. But he could add more now that you're gone. We have to be prepared as possible. And using you as bait would give up an upper hand on him."

Cress chewed on their words while chewing on her bottom lip. While she didn't mean to get herself trapped around a bunch of heroes and in training heroes this might be her only way to be free of Azazel for good.

Nezu held up the pass.

Cress reached for it, hesitated, then took the pass between her fingers.

** : I've noticed that. So after this one I'm going to do another Todoroki/OC that follows the series.**


	5. Rush

Rush

"Come on, Cress! Come join us!" Asui called.

"Maybe in a minute." Cress waved to the frog girl before entering into the kitchen. Standing by the door she listened to the future heroes talk about their classes and quirks. It was the same thing every day. She would always be asked to come join them. And she would always find a way to get away from them. Sometimes they would corner her and she would have no choice but to sit down and participate with them. Though she always stayed quiet as much as she could. There was no point in getting to know anyone. She knew she wouldn't be here for long. Or so she thought.

Over the two weeks that she had been at the school with them she found she was yearning to be part of their crew, part of their circle. They were so close, so connected. Something she hadn't felt in some time. Something she thought she'd never feel again since her best friend was killed.

Cress pulled a glass from a cabinet and pushed those thoughts away. She couldn't be their friend. It was impossible. Filling the glass with water she gulped down half of it. A sharp pain stabbed into her head. The glass shattered on the floor. She grabbed her head and dropped to her knees. Her vision blurred and split into two. Calls of her name found her ears, but she couldn't make out who they were. Her vision split more. Hot pain shot up and down her body. She felt like she was being torn apart by two horses running in different directions. Then she was falling. Coldness engulfed her body before darkness settled over her.

…

"Will she be all right?"

"I won't know for sure until she wakes up."

"Todoroki, did she ever mention a second quirk to you?"

"No, Mr. Aizawa, she didn't say anything about it."

"It's possible she was unaware of it. You mentioned you met her in a dream word?"

"That's right."

Words faded in and out of Cress's ears. Entities rushed around her as her consciousness began to come back to her.

"Cress, you're awake." Todoroki appeared in her vision.

Cress sat up and looked around.

"About time. Ciarran is going on a ramp page," Aizawa said. "And that's not all." He pulled back the currant to the window. "She's turning everything in the city into some form of crazy wonderland."

"I… I don't understand." Cress looked out the window at the large mushrooms, odd creatures and inanimate objects flew around the air, and explosions went off in the distance. "What's going on? Who are you people?"

"Cress, it's us. Todoroki. That's Mr. Aizawa. This is Recovery Girl," Todoroki said. "Don't we look familiar?"  
Cress shook her head. "No. I don't know you… I don't think."

Recovery Girl hummed.

"What's wrong with her?" Todoroki asked.

"I'm not sure, but it appears the separation caused some memory loss," Recovery Girl said. "Very interesting."

"So does this mean Cress won't remember anything until she's reunited with Ciarran?" Aizawa asked.

"That would be my guess." Recovery Girl nodded.

"Just great." Aizawa huffed. "The pros are already having a hard time getting closer to Ciarran. She's using this wonderland of hers to keep everyone at a distance. She'll only come out and strike then hide again. And there's another problem. We're getting reports from the pros that they keep hearing a voice in their heads."

An icy hand gripped Cress's body. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. "I'm sorry. I don't think I can help you. I can't do it."

"You only think that because you don't remember. It doesn't change the fact that we need your help, Cress," Aizawa said. "Ciarran is a part of you. Only you can stop her."

Cress shook her head. "No. I don't want… I can't go out there."

"Cress, it's okay." Todoroki sat down on the bed and placed his hand on hers. "It'll be okay. We won't let anyone hurt you again."

Cress looked into his eyes. They were calm, warm, comforting. Something in the back of her mind told her not to go outside, that this voice Aizawa spoke of was after her. Tears filled her eyes. "I don't want to go out there. Pain is waiting. I can't do it on my own. I can't."

"I know. But you have to trust us," Todoroki said. "You're not alone. We're going to help you. If Azazel is really here I won't let him touch you."

"Your fantasy quirk can be a real big help," Aizawa said. "If you can distract Azazel long enough for me to use my quirk on him, we can knock him out."

Cress looked to the teacher then back to Todoroki.

"Trust us, Cress," Todoroki said.

Cress found herself nodding.

…

Everything blurred in Cress's mind as she made her way through the city with Aizawa and Todoroki at her side. The rest of the students had broken off with one or more member of UA staff. They were to cause distractions while her own small group moved closer to Ciarran. Everything was fine until taunting whispers entered into her head.

_"You can't win."_

_ "You're always going to fail."_

_ "You're nothing. You're weak. Come back to me. I'm the only one who can help you. I'm the only one who understands you."_

Cress whimpered and stopped running.

"Cress?" Todoroki walked back to her.

"I can't. I can't do this." Cress grabbed and shook her head.

"It's okay, Cress. You can do this," Todoroki said. He took her wrists and pulled her hands away from her head. "You're hearing his voice again, right? Don't listen to him. He's wrong. Focus on me instead."

Cress locked eyes with him. His thumbs brushed over her skin. She nodded. They began to run again. Pushing through vines they came to a circle field where Ciarran was standing in the middle.

Blasts from other attacks filled the air. The other heroes must be very busy to keep making such noise. Cress exhaled and forced them from her mind. Pros knew what they were doing here. She didn't. She had to focus.

"Well, look who's here," Ciarran said. "I didn't think you'd show up so soon. You've changed. Amazing as it is. Before you never would have stayed with someone for this long."

Cress swallowed. She knew this person speaking to her. "Ciarran."

"Get lost," Ciarran said with a wave of her hand. "You can't defeat me. I won't go back into you. I'm finally free. You're weak. You know this is true."

Cress shook her head. "No. I don't know."

"You can't even stand still. I can see you shaking all the way over here." Ciarran smirked.

Cress gripped her hands to try and steady them.

"You're not going to get away with this," Todoroki said.

"Oh?" Ciarran tilted her head. "Three little kittens came to play." She laughed. "You morons. Like I would be prepared for you." She snapped her fingers.

"Hello, Crescent." Azazel and twenty others walked through the vines. "I've finally found you. How could you run away from me like that? We're family."

"I don't know you," Cress said.

"Ah, I see. You've lost your memory from the split," Azazel said.

"What would you now about it?" Aizawa asked.

"I know everything. This has happened before. Only Crescent doesn't remember it happening," Azazel said. "Now get out of my way. I'm taking her back."

"You are not!" Todoroki threw out his hand. Ice shot around them, trapping himself, Cress, and Ciarran inside. "I don't know how long that and Mr. Aizawa will keep them out. We have to hurry. Now, Cress."

"I… I'll try." Cress stepped forward.

Ciarran laughed. "You think you can put us back together? Don't make me laugh. Oh, I already did."

Fire shot towards her.

Ciarran jumped backwards. "Oh, you're a cutie. Once I get rid of Cress I think I'll keep you."

Todoroki growled. "Not going to happen."

"Oh?" Ciarran tilted her head. "Have you fallen for Cress? I wouldn't do that if I were you. She can't let anyone get closer to her. It's an ability she doesn't have."

Cress took a step back.

"Don't listen to her, Cress. I'll keep her focus on me. You do what you need to absorb her," Todoroki whispered before rushing forward.

Heart pounding, Cress watched as Todoroki and Ciarran traded blows. She had no idea what to do, but in the mist of the chaos she could feel a pull from Ciarran. They were meant to be one. And they had to be reunited. Cress exhaled and closed her eyes. The pull to Ciarran grew stronger. Cress lifted her hands.

"What?!" Ciarran snapped when she started pulling towards Cress.

"That's it! Keep it up, Cress!" Todoroki said.

Cress opened her eyes.

"Leave me alone!" Ciarran shot a rock at Cress.

"Not happening!" Todoroki shot a stream of ice out, knocking the rock away from Cress. He charged at Ciarran and threw a fist of fire at her. When Ciarran jumped Todoroki kicked out his foot, snagging her ankle and causing her to fall to the ground.

"No! I won't go back!" Ciarran screamed as her body was pulled by an invisible force towards Cress.

"You don't have a choice." A glow engulfed Cress and strung out to Ciarran. "You are apart of me. Now return."

Ciarran threw attacks at Cress, but Todoroki kept knocked them away. Finally, Ciarran started absorbing into Cress. With a flash of light they merged back into one person. The world around them went back to normal. Cress collapsed to the ground, huffing.

Todoroki knelt beside her.

"I'm okay," Cress said. "I think."

"You're hair changed."

"Huh?" Cress grabbed her hair and pulled it over her shoulder. He was right. Her hair now had black streaks in it. "What the heck?"

…

Cress sighed as she fiddled with a strand of black hair. She still couldn't believe her hair had changed because she merged back with Ciarran.

"It looks good."

Cress turned to find Todoroki leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "Uh, hey." Silence passed between them. "So, uh, All Might came by earlier while you all were in class."

"And?" Todoroki shifted.

"He was able to work out a deal with the American police." Cress turned fully to him.

"Do you have to go back?"  
"No." Cress shook her head. "I can stay here. But I still have to do community service for helping Azazel."

Todoroki's eyes softened.

"It's fine." Cress shrugged. "I actually feel better with this punishment."

"What about a place to live? I doubt they'll let a minor run free, especially one who doesn't have full control over her quirks."

"Yeah." Cress rubbed her neck. "That's another part of the reason I'm staying in Japan. I need to get control over my quirks. And, after some discussion, All Might, Aizawa, and the principle agreed that I can attend UA."

"What?" Todoroki's eyes widened. "You're going to school here?"

"In away. I'm not going for my hero license or anything." Cress rocked back on her heels. "I'm only attending classes with your class to get control over my quirk."

"So you're staying in the dorm?"

Cress nodded. "I am. They're working to change one of the storage closets into a room for me. And All Might, or rather Toshinori, is going to be my new foster dad."

"That's great. I mean I'm glad you can stay." Todoroki averted his eyes.

"Yeah. Me too." Cress looked down and tapped her toes on the floor. Several minutes of silence passed between them. She licked her lips, ready to speak to him again when Todoroki held out his hand. Without a word she placed her hand in his. He pulled her to him. His body heat rushed over hers as he led her around the common room in a dance.

"Are you still worried about Azazel?" Todoroki asked.

"A little," Cress said. "He's not an easy one to capture. We have no idea if he left Japan or if he's still here. I'd like to think he left after dealing with Mr. Aizawa's quirk and will never come back."

Todoroki nodded. "Mr. Aizawa is amazing. He really gave those villains a work out." Then his eyes lowered to his lips. Cress's heart sped up as Todoroki leaned in and kissed her. He pulled back. "Sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"It… it's okay." Cress lowered her eyes.

"Are you really going to be okay with staying here?"

Cress thought about his words for several minutes before looking up at him. "I don't know. Ciarran was right about one thing. I'm not use to letting people get so close to me."

"Maybe we… maybe I can help with that?"

"Maybe." Cress smiled.


End file.
